Fall 2010
At KnitWit, our aim is to make your knitting adventures as enjoyable and educational as possible. And we want to make it fun for ourselves, too. Our classes are reasonably priced and most offer the option for you to bring your own yarn. (After all, it's in our best interests to help you get rid of those pesky piles of yarn you're all sitting on.) And if you don't have the monster stash and must buy yarn for class, we always offer a 15% discount on it. As usual, classes come with coffee, tea and treats, and we're proud of our lineup of teachers. If you need extra help, come to FREE-FOR-ALL-FRIDAYS!
Want knitting help? To just sit and knit, seam a sweater with moral support and helpful hints, decide whether to rip out... You may have never picked up a pair of needles before, or may just be scratching your head over something and need an extra pair of eyes to decipher... Come on down. It's free. Have a cup of tea and relax. Fridays 2 - 6.
Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Heart Hat with Judy Warde
Date: Thurs. Sept. 23 & 30th, 6 - 8 pm
Fee: $45
This year EZ would have been 100 years old. In honor of her birthday we planned a class around one of her iconic designs. The heart hat is a simple project that contains a lot of technique. You will learn: how to shape a heart using short rows and double decreases, how to turn that heart into a hat and how to finish it off using an I-cord bind off. Depending on the gauge and yarn used, the heart can have many other uses. This hat is a great baby shower gift.
Materials:
80 yards worsted weight yarn in main color
50 yards worsted weight yarn in contrasting color
(Using DK weight will make a smaller hat)
16” circular needle in a size that will knit up to 4 st./in.
Note: The heart can be worked on a 24” circular but you need a 16” for the hat.
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
Odds ‘N’ Ends with Judy Warde
Do you yearn to knit something that catches your eye and then put the pattern down when you see the words “provisional cast on”, ”invisible bind off” or “Kitchener stitch”? Do you have a hard time following pattern instructions and diagrams in knitting books? Are you yearning to knit lace or an Aran sweater but find the charts daunting? Are your sweater seams lumpy? Never fear! This series of classes is for you. We will cover a variety of the most useful cast ons and bind offs, simple seaming, Kitchener stitch, fixing cables, and much more. Bring a problem and we’ll find a solution! We will also decipher pattern language and charts. Participants should be able to knit and purl. We will not be knitting a garment but working with swatches to enable us to move easily from one topic to the next.
Materials: Yarn for swatching, needles appropriate to the weight of the yarn, tapestry needle, cable needle, crochet hook and stitch markers.
Fee: $20 per class
Index
Week 1: Getting Started: Casting On
Sat. Sept. 25, 10 - 11:30 am
Learn a variety of useful cast ons to use at the beginning of a project including provisional cast ons. You’ll also learn how to cast on when adding stitches in the middle of a project. Finally, learn how to make an amazing one-row buttonhole.
Week 2: Binding Off and Kitchener Stitch
Sat. Oct. 9, 10 - 11:30 am
Learn several techniques for binding off. Having several bind offs in your knitting arsenal will help to avoid that sock that won’t go over your heel or the sweater that won’t fit over the baby’s head. Banish your fear of the Kitchener stitch once and for all!
Week 3: Cables and Stripes
Sat. Oct. 23, 10 - 11:30 am
Learn the basic types of cables and twists and how to read a cable chart. Pick up some hints on working in stripes, both flat and in the round. We’ll also learn to fix a miscrossed cable, plus basic increases and left- and right-leaning decreases.
Week 4: Short Rows
Sat. Nov. 6, 10 - 11:30 am
Learn how to add shape to your knitting using the amazing short row. You’ll never have to sew a shoulder seam again if you know how to convert a pattern’s shoulder shaping using short rows and a 3 needle bind off.
Week 5: Seaming and Finishing
Sat. Nov. 20, 10 - 11:30 am
Learn how to seam both stockinette and garter stitch, how to weave in ends securely and the joy of blocking.
index
Aynia Shrug with Catherine Shumadine
Dates: Wed., Sept. 22, 29 & Oct. 6, 6 - 7:30
Fee: $65 includes Quince Chickadee yarn and pattern.
Shrug def: (body language) a movement of the shoulders indicating indifference; (garment) a charming and practical knitted piece covering the shoulders in stylish warmth.
In this class we will knit the Aynia Shrug from Quince & Co. Aynia is a simple piece knit mostly in stockinette, with a gentle lace edging. Knit flat and in one piece, 2 small side seams yield an elegant chill-chaser. We'll use Chickadee, a sport weight yarn with a variety of beautiful colors to choose from. Come check out the shop model for inspiration.
For advanced beginners on up: Materials: One pair size 7 needles, or size needed to get gauge; stitch markers, small stitch holders, yarn needle .Please know how to knit, purl, cast on, cast off. Lace edging instructions are both written and charted.
index
Abrazo Shawl with Karen Schilling
Dates: Wed. Oct. 13 & 27, 6 - 8 pm
Fee: $45
Abrazo, a delicate shawlette with a little beading, is suitable for the adventurous beginner or the intermediate knitter ready to try out lace knitting. This project incorporates short rows and a simple beading technique, resulting in an interesting and elegant shape. It drapes beautifully and looks glamorous over anything from formal wear to a t-shirt!
Materials: 500 yds. light fingering/heavy laceweight yarn, #9 crochet hook (1.25), 2 tubes #6 beads, 27 stitch markers, size 8 32" to 40” circular needles.
Come and see the shop sample. We would like everyone to come to class with the project already cast on; if you need yarn - and don’t forget, we take 15% off yarn bought for class - please come in sometime before class and we’ll help you pick something lovely and get it wound into a ball.
index
Design Your Own Hat! with Dawn Catanzaro
Dates: Thurs Sept 30 & Oct 7, 6 - 8 pm
Fee: $45
Are you having trouble finding just right hat pattern? Or are you just sick of knitting hats that don’t fit you? Learn how to design a hat that fits, in a yarn of your choice. In the first class, we will plan and design our personal patterns. In the second class, we’ll learn how to work the top of the hat for the perfect fit. You’ll leave the class with the skills to knit a hat that fits well, and the ability to knit it up in just about any stitch pattern.
Materials:
150 yds. of dk or heavier weight yarn
One set 16” circular needles in size listed on the yarn label, plus one set each of the next two sizes down. You’ll also need double-pointed needles for the second class, size to be determined in the first class.
Also bring a notebook, pencil, calculator, stitch markers and your imagination.
Designing Heirloom Rugs with Rose Ann Hunter
Date: Sunday Oct. 24, 10 - 2:30 (Break for lunch)
Fee: $65
Learn to adapt historic rug-making techniques from 1790 to present day. Combine knitting with center shirring (a hand-sewn stitch on wool fabric) to create a pinwheel or grandmother’s flower garden rug. This class is great for using up oddballs of yarn and recycling and reusing old or unused clothes into a thick, cozy folk art rug.
note: We will take a brief lunch break - please bring a sandwich, we’ll supply coffee, tea and treats
Materials: Please bring odd balls of yarn and needles appropriate to yarn weight.
index